Lawmakers are eager to get back from spring break and resume work on the new Farm Bill. Despite debate over whether or not it can get finished this year, one lawmaker says it is possible.
House Ag Committee Member Nikki Budzinski says she and her colleagues need to start making progress because the clock is ticking. She tells Brownfield Ag News when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Monday, she wants to see text of the legislation because it is something she has yet to see. While work has been ongoing behind the scenes, Budzinski says the federal budget discussions were a distraction, and they need to quickly pivot to the ag legislation.
She is not alone, either. U.S. Rep Sharice Davids and former Senator Pat Roberts emphasize the need for lawmakers to clear the political gridlock preventing progress on the new Farm Bill.
Davids, a former member of the House Ag Committee, and a Democrat, says the Farm Bill is not a partisan issue. Former Republican Senator Roberts, who worked on four Farm Bills while in Washington, emphasizes the importance of reaching across the aisle to provide farmers with certainty and predictability.
